Slide 1

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 2

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 3

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 4

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

Home

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

Home

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
Home

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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

Home

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
Home

Definiti

Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 5

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
Home

2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 6

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

Home

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 7

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 8

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 9

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

Home

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 10

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 11

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 12

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 13

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
Definiti

Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 14

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 15

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 16

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

Home

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

Home

Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

Home

How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 17

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 18

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 19

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 20

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 21

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 22

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
Home

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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

Home

How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
Definiti

Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 23

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 24

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 25

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 26

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 27

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definiti

Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definiti

Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 28

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 29

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 30

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

Home

What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 31

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 32

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 33

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

Home

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 34

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 35

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 36

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 37

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 38

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

Home

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 39

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

Home

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 40

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 41

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 42

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 43

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
Definiti

Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 44

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 45

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 46

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

Home

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

Home

Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 47

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 48

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 49

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 50

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 51

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 52

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

Home

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
Home

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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

Home

How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 53

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 54

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 55

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definiti

Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 56

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 57

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
Definiti

Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 58

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

Home

Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

Home

What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 59

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

Home

Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

Home

What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 60

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 61

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

Home

Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 62

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 63

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

Home

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

Home

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

Home

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 64

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
Home

2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 65

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Definiti

Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

Home

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

Home

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 66

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 67

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 68

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

Definiti

Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 69

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Definiti

Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 70

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 71

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 72

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
Definiti

Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 73

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 74

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 75

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

Home

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

Home

Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

Home

How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 76

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

Home

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 77

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
Definiti
•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Definiti

Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

Definiti

Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 78

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

Home

(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 79

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

Home

In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 80

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 81

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti

Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

Home

Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

Definiti

Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
Home

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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

Home

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

Home

How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

Home

Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

Home

Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

Home

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

Home

Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Definiti

Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
Definiti

Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 82

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

Home

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

Home

Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 83

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 84

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 85

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 86

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
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benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

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Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
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boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
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Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

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Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
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500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
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Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
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Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

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Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

Definiti

Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

Definiti

 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
Definiti
to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

Home

Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

Definiti

1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,

France

Home

Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Definiti

Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Definiti

Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home

Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Definiti

Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Definiti

Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Definiti

Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

Definiti

Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Definiti

Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Definiti

Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Definiti

Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
Definiti
clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Definiti

Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definiti

Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definiti

Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definiti

Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
Definiti

Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

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Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Slide 87

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises

LCA to go E-Learning course for
Machine tools – V1.6
17.04.2014
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Sebastian Glaser Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude
Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer

Introductio
n

Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact of your business
Improving the environmental performance across your product’s life cycle
can pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide you
with the information you need to inform better decision making within your
business. Lower your impact on the environment and reap the benefits:

1. Cost reductions
and

2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
products

3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations

4. Increase sales and diversify
conscious

5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
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Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
the use of rare raw materials in your

Manage your environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new

Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
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Introductio
n

What is LCA to go?

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LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the project in 2011. They have defined the most
relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across seven sectors:
photovoltaics, industrial machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit
boards, smart textiles and bio-based plastics. This pre-identification
greatly reduces the complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based
Environmental Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• planners, installers or designers of photovoltaic systems to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• manufacturingrs of plastic products to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• designers and producers of smart textiles to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• designers, assemblers or producers of computer like devices to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• machine tool manufacturings to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system

Introductio
n

What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, which includes material extraction, manufacturing, distribution,
use and end of life. Energy, water and materials are taken from the
natural environment while air and water pollutants and solid waste is
emitted back into the environment.
The most significant extractions
from and emissions into the environment are measured and analysed through
a life cycle based assessment to determine a products environmental
performance.
Understanding your product’s life cycle environmental performance can
enable you to identify and priorities environmental improvements
opportunities.

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E-learning course on environmental assessment of
with the LCA to go online tool

Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Machine tools Case
Definitions

Sector specific course / Step 1

1.

Definition of the product &

scope

Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
f. Define the system boundaries of all 5
life cycle stages
g. Define other requirements
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2

Definiti

Step 1

1.a. Define the goal of the study
i. Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identify the objectives, applications and target
audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of these
very important factors throughout the study.
ii. How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal
definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
•the reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
•the target audience (Who?);
•the potential areas of application for the study (What?)
iii. Can the goal be modified during the study?
The goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
the study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
the current study as a basis) should be made.
An example would be, if you conduct a study for the engineering department
and the marketing department would like to use the study for communication
purposes. In this case you should formulate a new goal, if possible, use
the existing study as a basis, to carry out a more detailed study,
focusing on the newly defined goal and the different target audience.
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Definiti

Example

Step 1

1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
• The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy
required to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
• The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between
products, materials and equipment. This will ensure that all
studied systems are fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
• The easiest way for define a functional unit is to identify clearly
the function/s provided by the product to be analysed and then
unit:
assess if the products to be analysed can Functional
either accomplish
the
Main function:
1m²
same function or not.
Having painted
Paint
a wall

Home

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Step 1

1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
• A reference flow is the basis for calculation required to accomplish
a certain function provided by a product service.
• Paint example: amount of paint required to having painted 1 m2 of
wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
• This is essential in every life cycle assessment, since it is used as
a basis for comparisons.
• LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis are fully
comparable
How can I define a Reference flow?
• Let’s see with an example: if the function is to having painted 1 m²
of wall with water-based paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solventof waterbased paint with a yield of Amount
2.5 m²/L,
therefore different amount of
2
1 m2/(5m
= 0,2
based
paint
paint
is /L)
called
Functional
unit will be used to paint the same wall surface. This
for the
L
reference
flow and it is an required
essential
part for comparison
1m
2

functional unit

Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit

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Definiti

1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L

Step 1

1.d.i Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows to a
certain
product
Corn
PLAsystem
growing and
harvesting
(materials)

pellet
processin
g

Input of raw
materials
Input of water

Film
extrusion
PLA film

Printing
and diecut

Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.

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Use

Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process

Input of energy
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Transport
and
delivery

End of
life

Step 1

1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help you
understand what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your
life cycle assessment. Furthermore the development of the process tree
usually helps to “not forget” parts of the product system and enables you
to structure the following steps such as data collection and life cycle
modeling.

Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again – this depends on the product that you’re about to evaluate. But in
general, the “start” is where the raw materials or the energy needed for
the manufacturing of your product come from. This is important at it also
shows the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product. The end of life of your product usually falls together with its
disposal and / or recycling. That does not automatically mean that you
have the possibility to influence what exactly happens at this stage.

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Step 1

1.e.ii Draw a process tree
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart. In this flowchart,
all
relevant material flows,
energy
flows,
emissions
and
other streams are depicted. If
possible, they are assigned to a
special process or step within
the life cycle stages of the
product.
The
process
tree
should
represent all life cycle stages
needed to properly model the
product. An example is used in
Step 1.d. and another is shown
on the right – please be aware
that
there
is
no
“defined”
structure as the extent and
quantity of single
processes
depends on the modeled product.

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- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater

- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon

Process 1,
e.g.
casing

- 0.7 kg LDPE
- 3 MJ process
heat
- 2 l distilled
water
- 2.5 g
additives

Process 2, e.g.
plastic parts
molding

- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE

- 0.2 m³ argon
- 0.7 kWh
electricity
- 3 l tap water

Process 3,
e.g.
assembling

- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater

- …

Process 4,
…

- …

The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product – if
possible,
to
the
functional Definiti

Step 1

1.f.i Define the system
boundary for all 5 life cycle
stages
Why is it important to define the system boundary for all 5

life cycle

stages?
You should define clearly which are the boundaries of your product system.
This should be done for all 5 life cycle stages, namely Materials,
Manufacturing, Distribution, Use and End of life. Let‘s see some examples:
•
Should the packaging materials be included? Yes, if relevant per
unit of product (usually for big products or when a reduced amount
of products are delivered).
•
Should the impact to produce and maintain the equipment be
included? Yes, if the production is small and repair/maintenance
operations are often required.
How can I define the system boundary for all 5 life cycle stages?
The easiest way for doing that is to create a table to register which
aspects have been either considered or not. This will allow you to track
the processes included in your system and easily move to your life cycle
diagram. An example is shown on the following slide:

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Definiti

Step 1

1.f.ii Define the system boundary for
all 5 life cycle stages
Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution

Following the
logic of the
Process tree,
please include
all relevant raw
materials
included in the
product. Please
take into account
that even small
quantities of
some raw
materials (e.g.
precious metals,
rare earths,
etc.) can have a
large effect on
the environment.

Most likely, this
stage may be
under your direct
control and it
will be easy to
obtain data.
Depending on the
product, the
Manufacturing can
have a
significant
impact. Make sure
to include all
relevant energy
and raw material
flows in this
stage, including
the manufacturing
waste, as it may
be relevant for
the products Life
Cycle.

Depending on the
product and the
packaging needed,
the Distribution
stage can have an
impact. Make sure
to include the
shipment method
as well as the
packaging. Step
3. b. shows an
example on what
to do with
multiple shipping
destinations.

Use

End of life

Use your process Depending on your
tree to determine product, the
where to set your contained raw
boundary in this materials, the
stage. As an
need for
example, for a
disassembly or
car, the use
the need for a
stage is very
long transport
important and the before disposal,
boundary should
may all be
not only include factors that
fuel consumption should be
but also
included in the
maintenance needs End of life
such as tires,
Stage.
spare parts, oil,
etc. Looking for
example at office
furniture, the
use stage and the
maintenance
therein becomes
negligible.
For some products, Product Category Rules (PCR) exist, defining the exact system
Home
boundary to be applied. This enables transparency
Definiti and comparability between different

Step 1

1.g. Define other requirements
for the system boundary
What other requirements are there for the system boundary?
Appart from defining you product system and drawing your process tree it
is also important to define your Temporal, Geographical and Technological
requirements. This means that you should define first, how old the data
that you intend to use shall be, which geographical boundaries you intend
to set, especially for the manufacturing site and place of use for your
product and finally whether you want to investigate one specific
technology or do an assessment for a representative family of products.

Why do I need to define other requirements?
Defining these additional requirements helps you set a perimeter for your
study area and validates your results, helping you reach your study goal
and enabling you to communicate the results more clearly.

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Sector specific course / Step 2

2.

Collect data

Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify & keep track of data
source
d.Identify and track the data
quality

1

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3

Definiti

Step 2

2.a.i Identify necessary data

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What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Data will be needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the product
life cycle properly. Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which
defines your product or system, but your data will be complemented by some
background data on e.g. electricity generation or upstream raw materials
production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the materials used; data might come
from the specification or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, collect data on
• Electricity consumption for manufacturing of parts and assembly of the
final product. This can be done by:
• measuring the energy consumption directly at the production line
• deviding the electricity consumption of the entire production line
through the number of units produced
• Waste generated in the manufacturing of parts and assembly of the final
product.
• For the Distribution stage, collect data on shipping distances as well as
packaging materials used
• For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country / region where the product or system is used
• For the End of life stage, collect data on current disposal and recycling
practice and estimate, which end Definiti
of life route might be taken by your

Step 1

2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at exclude certain materials/
manufacturing processes for which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible. Let‘s see an example for a
Decision rule:
grinding
machine.
Materials
contained
Weight
Exclude all
%wt
(g)
in machine tool
materials,
contributing less
Cast iron
13000
66,5%
than 1 % of the total
Steel
3120
82,5%
weight of the final
Cooling & Lubrication
2500
product.
Unit
Electronics
Control Unit
Electric motor

95,3%

for

Aluminium

150
120

Copper

60

Polypropylene

40

Transformer

20

Flat glass

10

Polycarbonate

10

Full PC Set
Home

500

Estimated total mass

5

19535

These components can
be excluded as they
97,9%
do not represent more
98,6%
than 1% of total
99,3%
materials to the
99,6%
product system,
reducing
99,8%
substantially the
99,9%
efforts for data
99,9%
collection!!! Be
100,0%
careful not to
100,0%
exclude small amounts
Definiti of high impact

Step 2

2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what data do
I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing of the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCAs use scenarios as shown in Step 3.
The data you require will depend on the scenario you are investigating. As an
example, if you know where you ship a certain product by market share, then you
may develop a table
shown below:
Marketasshare
Distribution
Use
End of life

Country
(Clients)
Poland
France
Sweden

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(all by truck)
[%]
50%
40%
10%

[km]

(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
depending on the client)
on client)
[kWh / Year]
1000
7,000
Incineration
500
9,000
Landfill
2000
4,000
Recycling

You can then develop one scenario as an average for your product, ie. assuming
that you are theoretically selling one product unit 50% to Poland, 40% to France
and 10% to Sweden. Alternatively you can specific scenarios for specific
clients. The required information remains the same.
Often, if you cannot find specific information such as the exact transport
distance, start with a conservative estimate and identify whether it is a
relevant part of the LCA before spending
too much time on getting very detailed
Definiti

Step 2

2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset: If the overall result is known to depend largely on one entry,
the data should meet a high level of accuracy. For example, this is
extremely important when certain entered values are multiplied by a very
large factor. In these cases the accuracy of entered value has to be very
high whereas for less important data it is not required to invest large
amounts of time to achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result, so
efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• As electricity in use, is frequently highly relevant, it is important
to enter the correct location and the corresponding electricity grid
mix. If a product is used over long periods of time over its lifetime,
this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals are mined and processed with high environmental
impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment. Getting the
amount of precious metals right, even if it is only milligrams, is of
high importance in these cases.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
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Definiti

Step 2

2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials

Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important

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Materials

Manufact
uring

End of
life

End of
life

A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
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Manufact
uring

A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects

Step 2

2.c.i Identify & keep track of data
source

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Where can I find the data I am looking for?
Good data sources are:
• Product specifications
• Supplier data, although environmental data is rarely covered by any
supply chain data management
• Bill of materials, which however frequently lacks relevant
environmental data
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Complementary life cycle data in case the tool you are using does not
feature the background datasets you are looking for; free public
available data sources include:
•
ProBas (German): Input-output data for a couple of materials
and processes, compiled by German Umweltbundesamt as an „LCA
library“
www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de
•
CPM: Life Cycle Inventory data from projects at Chalmers
University
http://cpmdatabase.cpm.chalmers.se/
•
Databases hosted andupdated by industry associations:
•
Plastics Europe:
http://www.plasticseurope.org/plasticssustainability/ecoprofiles.aspx
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•
Worldsteel:

Step 2

2.c.ii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to deal with data gaps?
Be prepared to fill data gaps by means of estimates and assumptions.
Engineers, designers, procurement staff and other technical experts in
your company will be able to provide you with good estimates to fill data
gaps. Note any datagaps and try to revisit them if they turn out to be
relevant in the results.
Even large enterprises do not have readily available data on environmental
issues throughout the whole product life cycle.
Even environmental data from tier 1 suppliers is rarely available and
suppliers are not prepared to provide any such data consistently. There is
no standard for suppliers how to calculate and report life cycle data.

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Step 2

2.c.iii Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire for supplier data?
A real life example….
e-mail product manager to his supplier contact:

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Step 2

2.c.iv Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire
A real

for supplier data?

life example….

Reply 4 months later:

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Step 2

2.c.v Identify & keep track of data
source
How to inquire

for supplier data?

A real life example….
What is the problem:
• Delayed reply
• As the inquiry was not very precise it is not clear at all, which
methodological assumptions where made by the supplier (which processes
are included, are upstream processes included and how are they
accounted?)
• Ranges stated: Which value to calculate with? Recommended approach is
“worst case”, but check sensitivity whether result changes
significantly with average / best case values, then further
clarification would be worthwhile
• Values are way too high for the production of semiconductors; further
communication unveiled, that carbon footprint data includes power
consumption in use, not only manufacturing

Recommendations:
Communicate closely with your supplier. Make clear your requirements and
expectations. Provide clear guidance.
Given the intensive communication required until you might get hold of
robust data don’t target at a full supplier coverage with your inquiries.
Ask only for the most important parts, components and materials.
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Step 2

2.d.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
For an engineer it might be hard to understand, that environmental life
cycle data is subject to numerous assumptions, approximations, partly
guess-work and thus uncertainty.
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good a given dataset and
the related results of modelling represent the „real“ life cycle of a
product or system.
As long as data comes directly from your product and production line, data
quality will be high, but frequently you will have to source data for
processes and life cycle stages, which are not under your direct control.
Then data quality comes into play as a crucial issue.

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Step 2

2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability

Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness

How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time

How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography

Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology

Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?

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Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong result.

Step 2

2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:

Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology

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DQI
scor
e

Definiti

Robust

high

Indicative

Data
quali
ty

Illustrative

low

Step 2

2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:

Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
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Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages

with highest impact feature
high data quality

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Sector specific course / Step 3

3.

Model the Life Cycle

Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Distribution
stage
c. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
2

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4

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Step 3

3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage

raw
material/
substance

Unit

Data
gap

Data
needed?

58

g

No

Yes

My company

ABS resin

220

g

No

Yes

Literature

Glass
fibre

125

g

No

Yes

Literature

Injection
moulding
of ABS

195

g

Yes

Yes

Copper
Materials

Amount

Materials
preproces
ses

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Assumption

I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell

Source

Literature

Step 3

3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c

What’s better?

I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!

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Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process

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 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process

Step 3

3.b.i Develop Scenarios for Distribution
What is a scenario in the context of an environmental assessment with the
LCA to go tool?
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal.
Why are scenarios useful and when are they used?
Scenarios are useful because they allow for the comparison of different
possible situations the product may be found in and to allow for an
environmental assessment, even if the exact distribution path, or use
intensity or disposal method is unknown. Each scenario essentially models
what happens when a product may be distributed to a range of different
destinations and/or used in different intensities (e.g.: distribute your
PCB to Austria or Mexico, used intensively or sparingly, landfill of
carrier bag vs. incineration, etc.).

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How many scenarios should I define for the distribution stage?
This depends greatly on the relative importance of the distribution stage
compared to other stages in the life cycle of your product as well as the
difference between the individual scenarios. We recommend that you start
with a worst case scenario to identify the relative importance of the
distribution stage. If it is relevant in the product life cycle, it is
best to develop several scenarios based on the market share or actual
distribution data. The LCA goal may also play a role, maybe you would like
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to develop a scenario for a specific customer or market.

Step 3

3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for Distribution
How can I define a scenario for the distribution stage?
Collect as much information as feasible on the weight of the product, the
location that your product is shipped to, the method of transport and the
packaging used. Combine the information with assumptions and estimates to
build a ‚complete‘ picture for the distribution of your product.
Example

Market share 40%
National (Spain)
500 km

1270 km

Overseas (Brazil)
Manufacturing plant in Spain

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Market share 5%

+

Europe (Sweden)

780 km

Market share 55%

+
6900 km

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1120 km

Step 3

3.c.i Develop Scenarios for Use
Sweden

Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
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scenarios can be developed,

France

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Poland

Step 3

3.c.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:

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Step 3

3.d. Develop Scenarios for the End of life
stage
How can I define a scenario for the End of life stage?
Try to define the most common scenarios for end of life as function of the
geography as well as the user preferences and build the scenarios
according to your specified goal for the LCA. A Scenario may consist of
one path (e.g. Incineration) for the entire product or of different paths
for each raw material (e.g. Copper->Recycling, PVC casing->Incineration,
Steel->Landfill)
How many scenarios should I define for the End of life stage?
Commonly, three scenarios are distinguished in the End of life stage:
Recycling, Incineration and Landfill. As always, check the impact of the
life cycle stage relative to other life cycle stages before investing a
lot of time and effort on building scenarios.
Country
Recycling
Incineration
Landfill
Please find
an example for
plastic packaging
(2010 from
Eurostat):

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Spain

29%

22%

49%

France

24%

37%

39%

Finland

26%

19%

65%

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Sector specific course / Step 4

4.

Enter data

Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data

3

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5

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Step 4

4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.

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Step 4

4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product

Customized life
cycle for each
sector

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Step 4

4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“

Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries

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Model
your
product
life
cycle

Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries

Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

Step 4

4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle

Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one

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Step 4

4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your
product life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset

4)Click „Next step“ to move
to the next
life cycle stage

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Step 4

4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
You will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee

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Step 4

4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time

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Step 4

4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?

Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant

Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.

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Step 4

4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.

data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
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Internal
data
model
1
2
3

Internal
database

dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3

4
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Results

Step 4

4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.

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Step 4

4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from a machine tool:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.iv Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.

Use scenario
Life time

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Step 4

4.b.v Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
Example from the application of sensors in energy-intensive industries:
1) The user is asked to enter the use scenario and the life time of the
machine tool.
2) Based on these data entries the tool calculates the total times in the
three different states, Processing, Ready for operation, and Stand by.
3) These are linked with the entered consumption data on energy, operating
resources and additional energy flows in the three states to calculate
consumption of those different scenarios.

Use scenario
Life time
MJ / tool machine

Energy use
MJ/ tool machine

Media use

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Results

Step 4

4.b.vi Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.

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Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
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Sector specific course / Step 5

5.

Review the result

Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary

4

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6

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Step 5

5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:

1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)

2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)

3) pdf report

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Step 5

5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.

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Step 5

5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help laymen to understand the environmental issue behind the
assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones. You should keep in mind, that there is
some (minor) risk to overlook an important impact.

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Step 5

5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
(positive) carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over
full lifetime
•
carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumlative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime

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Step 5

5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure. You
should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
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Step 5

5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?

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Step 5

5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary

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Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data. If you only have
“Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be relevant or who’s
importance depends strongly on the chosen scenario, try to collect and
integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturingrs.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
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clear that in an iterative process, results can always be improved. Once

Sector specific course / Step 6

6.

Interpret the result & derive

improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication

5

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Step 6

6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If an rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.

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Step 6

6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.

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Step 6

6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product

e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life

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Step 6

6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy. Several tools exist to
help you define an improvement strategy for
your product. The improvement strategy
focuses on the major improvement options
which in turn consist of several measures,
which may or may not be applicable to your
product. As an example for a use intensive
product, the following improvement strategy
has been taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one
such tool:

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Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
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Step 6

6.b.iii Derive appropriate
improvement measures
What improvement options can I derive from the result?
Once the basic product type and the improvement strategy has been
identified, a checklist of measures can be used to identify their
contribution to the improvement of the product.
Depending on the tool used, a set of measures can be identified and their
implementation can be logged, to determine which further measures can be
implemented, what their benefits would be or why certain measures are not
feasible. As an example, this is an extract from the ECODESIGN Pilot:

Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
The life cycle perspective always insures that the implementation of
improvement measures does not simply shift environmental impacts from one
life cycle stage to another, but that measures actually improve the
environmental performance of the product as a whole.
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Step 6

6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment. The LCA to go tool
provides you with a pdf report of the major results. Any additional claims
on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials, information about a dedicated
take-back service, or the technical specification have to be provided as a
complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.

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Step 6

6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…

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Step 6

6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.

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Definitions

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario

Definition: Cradle-to-gate

The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.

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Definition: Data Quality Indicator

The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust. Learn more…

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Definition: Environmental aspect

Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment

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Definition: Environmental hotspots

The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.

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Definition: Environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.

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Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)

Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects

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Definition: Environmental performance

Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects

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Definition: Impact category

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned

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Definition: LCA to go

LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in

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Definition: Life Cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life

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Definition: Life Cycle Thinking

According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle
Assessment), Life Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:

„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing
consumption and production strategies towards a more
coherent policy making and in industry, employing a bundle
of life cycle based approaches and tools. By considering
the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one
life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to
another and from one environmental medium or protection
target to another is avoided.”

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In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
you‘re only responsible for one step in the supply chain
(maybe product design), all related Life cycle stages
should
be
taken
into
account
when
it
comes
to
environmental performance of your product. That prevents
from creating new (and maybe bigger) problems by
eliminating one and enables you to make sustainable
decisions.
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Definition: Life cycle stages

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In
general,
„Materials“,
„Manufacturing“,
„Distribution“, „Use“ and
„End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle
stages of a product. Keep
in mind that depending on
your product, it may be End of
that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one
produces screws or nails,
the „Use“ stage will be
completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on
the
used
materials
influences
the
recyclability at the “End
of
life”
and
efforts
related to “Raw Materials”
extraction.
The life cycle built from
the five stages is shown onDefiniti

Materials

life

Use

Manufacturin
g

Distribution

Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME

“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.

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Source: EC 2005

Definiti

Definition: Robustness

Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.

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Definiti

Definition: Scenario

A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…

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Definiti